Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights across the United States on Friday as federal officials began enforcing an FAA order to reduce air traffic amid the prolonged government shutdown. The agency said the cuts, which affect 40 of the nation’s busiest airports, are designed to preserve safety as unpaid air traffic controllers and TSA officers increasingly call out of work.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the reductions, now near 10 percent, could rise to 15 or even 20 percent if the shutdown continues. “We’re doing this to protect the safety of the flying public,” Duffy told Fox News, warning that controller shortages “are getting worse by the day.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said the slowdown began at roughly 4 percent earlier in the week and will ramp up in the coming days to relieve strain on an overworked system. Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency was seeing “signs of stress in the system” and described the cuts as a “necessary step to prevent something worse.”
Friday’s cancellations represented about five times the number scrubbed Thursday, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was hardest hit, with 16 percent of arrivals canceled, while Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Chicago O’Hare each lost roughly 3 percent of flights.
Airlines said they were focusing cuts on smaller regional routes to limit disruption for most travelers. Delta Air Lines dropped about 170 flights Friday, American Airlines canceled about 220 each day through Monday, and Southwest Airlines trimmed around 120, while United Airlines said most affected passengers were quickly rebooked.
At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, travelers faced massive delays at security checkpoints as unpaid federal workers staffed TSA lines. “It was snaking around all different parts of the regular area,” said Cara Bergeron, who spoke to the Associated Press after flying from Houston to Atlanta. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Some passengers improvised when flights shifted or disappeared. Karen Soika, a surgeon from Greenwich, Connecticut, told the AP she decided to rent a U-Haul truck and drive to Utah after learning her rebooked flight had been moved from Newark to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. “I’m going to U-Haul and I’m going to drive a truck cross-country,” she said.
Rental car companies reported a surge in one-way bookings as anxious travelers made backup plans. “Everyone’s paying the price for the politics that’s going on,” said Michele Cuthbert of Columbus, Ohio, who spoke to the AP about her upcoming trip to Dallas. “We’re just collateral damage.”
Aviation experts warned that the disruption could ripple through the economy. Greg Raiff, CEO of Elevate Aviation Group, said the cuts affect “everything from cargo aircraft to business travel to tourism,” while Patrick Penfield, a supply-chain professor at Syracuse University, noted that nearly half of all U.S. air freight moves in passenger planes, making the flight reductions costly for shippers.
The FAA said many controllers are now working six-day weeks with mandatory overtime as fatigue and absences increase. “We’re acting now so we don’t face a far greater crisis later,” Bedford said.
Airports are stepping in to support federal workers hit by the shutdown. Denver International Airport has opened a food pantry for unpaid employees and asked the FAA for permission to use airport revenue to help cover controller wages temporarily.
Kerry Tan, an airline-industry professor at Loyola University Maryland, said carriers face unprecedented uncertainty. “The unpredictability of the government shutdown makes it almost impossible for airlines to rationally plan their flight operations,” Tan said.
Christina Schlegel, a travel adviser from Arlington, Virginia, told the AP she’s advising clients to stay flexible and plan alternatives. “People really should be thinking, ‘What else can I do?’” she said. “Have that information in your back pocket.”
Shutdown Negotiations Still Stalled Despite New Offer
While travelers dealt with canceled flights, efforts to end the shutdown made little progress in Washington. Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, proposed reopening the government in exchange for a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, saying the move would give families financial stability while talks continue on longer-term budget issues.
Schumer called the offer “a simple extension of current law,” describing it as a fair trade for moving a clean funding bill through Congress. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the proposal “a nonstarter” and said while it was “a sign of progress,” Republicans would not accept policy changes tied to ending the shutdown.
Current President Donald Trump urged the Senate to keep working through the weekend if necessary to break the impasse. He again called for ending the filibuster, which currently requires 60 votes to pass most major legislation, arguing that “a simple majority should be enough to reopen the government.”
Republican leaders rejected eliminating the rule, with Thune and others insisting the filibuster protects minority rights in the chamber. That leaves the GOP still short of the votes needed to move a funding bill forward, as the shutdown entered its sixth week.
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